Dariusz Krok The Opole University Poland Psychomanipulative influence

Dariusz Krok The Opole University Poland Psycho-manipulative influence as a form of abuse in cults Theory and research

Plan 1. Persuasive manipulative influence in cults. 2. Techniques of manipulation in cultic groups. 3. Research in psycho-manipulation used by cults.

Two forms of influence n Persuasion that happens in various social situations can take two different forms: positive and negative. PERSUASION POSITIVE NEGATIVE

n The first form refers to interventions in such areas of human life as health, education, marketing, social advertisements etc. n This persuasion tries to obey ethical rules. n It consists in presenting certain sorts of information in order to change people’s attitudes.

n The second is found in psychological manipulation, brainwashing, propaganda and can be used by cultic groups. n It often violates human freedom and dignity by presenting false information or using means which distort recipients’ thinking.

Manipulation in social context n The modern research in the field of persuasion reveals a number of persuasive mechanisms which are tailored to change people’s thinking and emotions so that they can affect behaviour. n Some of the mechanisms tend to activate cognitive processes while others try to change individuals’ attitudes through emotional influence. n Various forms of both cognitive and emotional mechanisms can be used by coercive groups with the aim of manipulating and deceiving people.

Manipulation and cults n In manipulation cultic groups often use information which is supposed to make a strong impact on recruits’ thinking, emotions, and behaviour. n This assertion is very important as theoretical analyses and results of empirical research provide evidence that persuasion in religious and moral communication plays an important role in changing and forming attitudes, especially those which are relevant to individuals’ religious life (Buechler, 2008; Nowakowski, 2007; Pratkanis, 2010).

Two distinctive features of persuasive manipulation used by cultics according to Abgrall (Abgrall 2005). 1) The members apply sophistic arguments trying to persuade people through ambiguous and unclear statements. The main goal is to introduce uncertainty and hesitation in people’s mind which entails making quick and false decisions.

n „We human being are capable of doing some very strange things and believing some very weird beliefs” (A. R. Pratkanis, in: Critical thinking in psychology, Cambridge 2006). n Some examples: In 1997, 36 men and women of a California group known as Heaven’s Gate dressed in purple shrouds, black trousers and black tennis shoes and killed themselves to board a UFO tailing the comet Hale-Boop. In 1995, members of Aum Supreme Truth placed bags of leaking sarin gas in the Tokyo subway system, killing 12 people and injuring more than 5, 500.

n David Koresh was the man responsible for the confused siege and arson of his religious compound outside of Waco, Texas in 1993. n The fire killed Koresh and 74 followers, including 21 children.

Persuasive manipulation by peripheral route n In cultic groups people can be influenced by processes that occur in the peripheral route of persuasion. It entails attitude change that happens when there is a minimal cognitive elaboration of a message, and then people tend not to carefully scrutinize arguments presented to them. n The relatively low amount of thinking is involved and people act in a less diligent fashion, preferring conclusions made on a superficial basis. n In this mental state people do not think too much, but rely on quick mental short-cuts.

n By using peripheral mechanisms cultic groups can easily take advantage of people persuading them to follow unreasonable rules and make irrational decisions. n A lack of objective thinking creates dangerous situations in which people can experience: - psychological abuse, - brainwashing, - negative emotional states.

Two distinctive features of persuasive manipulation used by cultic groups: - APPEAL TO THE MIND – members apply sophistic arguments trying to persuade people through logical means. - APPEAL TO THE HEART – information presented by the members are based on feelings and emotions, not on rational and sensible reasoning.

Examples of using logical proofs 1) Number of persuasive arguments - the greater is the number, the higher is the level of persuasion. While talking to people members of cultic groups can come up with all sorts of arguments which are very difficult to verify in order to influence people. 2) Presenting a one- or two-sided message - when an audience holds attitudes contrary to those presented by a speaker, it would be more effective to adopt a two-sided approach, in which both sides of the argument are given. But if an audience tends to agree with a speaker, he/she should turn to one-sided approach.

3) The process of delivery of arguments is more persuasive if a speaker uses a powerful speech style, i. e. , the person speaks in a firm and decisive tone, is convinced about his/her position, avoids hesitations, and includes words and phrases that amplify the potency of messages (e. g. , absolutely, utterly). In the context of cultic groups influence this style of speaking makes their leaders more credible and enables them to achieve goals through internal influence. While approaching an audience they will convey their message without any hesitation and use precise, firm voice and magnifying phrases that give an impression of credibility and expertise.

4) Logical proofs can also take forms of two request techniques. The first is “foot-in-the-door” where a very small initial request is made, and if accepted, this is followed be a slightly larger request. For instance, a cultic group member can ask you to sign a petition for climate protection (a small request which you agree to), and afterwards the person requests a donation for the group (a larger request). The second form is “door-in-the-face”. Here a very large initial request is made, and once rejected a more realistic one follows. For example, a cultic group member wants you to give a donation of 200 euro, knowing his/her request would probably be rejected. Then, the member asks if you could spare only 10 euro which seems more reasonable. In that case you are more willing to make this smaller donation.

Emotional influence n Emotional appeals are considered to be effective in persuasive influence, because they play a significant role in attitude change processes (Griskevicius, Shiota, Neufeld, 2010; Petty, Brinol, 2008). 1) Cultic groups, trying to influence people, present messages that induce fear, e. g. , by making predictions about the end of the world and declaring that the only way to save one’s life is to entirely dedicate ourselves to the group’s teachings.

2) Referring to a mood state - people form attitudes on the basis of “how do I feel about it” heuristic, often mistaking a pre-existing mood state for a reaction to an object. When a person who is feeling happy is confronted with a persuasive message by a cultic group member, he/she does not feel the need to invest much effort in processing its arguments and rather rely on salient peripheral cues, e. g. , appearance, voice. On the other hand, a person who is feeling bad approached by the member will be motivated to invest considerable effort in message processing, so the member will have to present strong and convincing arguments in order to persuade the person.

3) Using scarcity – this factor operates on a basis that individuals place greater value on rare opportunities, i. e. , if something is restricted its value increases and it becomes more desirable. A cultic group may deceive someone by saying that there is a limited number of individuals who gain access to paradise and that only those who accept truth promoted by the leader will be admitted. This scarcity appeals to individuals and make the group more attractive. In such situations people feel special because they managed to secure a position within limited number of places.

Manipulative strategies and forewarning (Krok, 2009) n Material pretesting In a pretesting session, three strategies used by cults were created: * The existential strategy presents arguments referring to a search for meaning of life, daily problems and difficulties, and meeting psychological needs; * The cultural-religious strategy reflects universal questions about the sense of universe, the beginning of life on the earth, meanings of great religious books, and discovering mysteries of the world; * The protective strategy consists of information which is to secure a person against current dangers and provide peacefulness, safety, and happiness.

n n n Research participants and design A total of 212 full-time and part-time students were recruited to participate in the experiment in partial fulfilment of a class requirement. Procedure All participants were told that the study aimed at measuring different aspects of people’s attitudes and opinions. Each group was listening to one message played on a CD player. Following theses introductory remarks, participants were informed or not of the identity of the speaker. Measures: - cognitive responses, - attitudes towards the message, - attitudes towards the speaker,

Results 1

Results 2

Conclusions 1) Manipulative strategies make a different impact on recipients’ cognitive processes and attitudes towards the message and speaker. The most negative effects were found under the protective strategy. The least negative effects were made by using the existential strategy. It implies that the existential strategy is most persuasive and dangerous when it is applied by cultic groups in order to influence people. Why? The existential strategy contains arguments reflecting a universal search for meaning of life and helps people to resolve daily problems and difficulties. 2) Forewarning used in the form of revealing the group’s identity causes recipients to have more negative cognitive processes and attitudes towards the message and speaker. Hiding one’s membership is a clear example of manipulation aimed at deceiving potential recruits.

3) Forewarning has the strongest effects in the case of the existential and protective strategies, but does not make a significant change with the cultural-religious strategy. It can have practical implications for recruitment made by members of cultic groups. If they are asked about their membership they will try to reduce a potential negative impression by applying the cultural-religious strategy and talking about universal aspects of the world. After this initial introduction they can start presenting their proper arguments.